Fruit Beer Raspberry Dubbel (R²)

This recipe is quite simple, with fantastic results. After putting together our first Belgian dubbel recipe (Walking in Ghent, WiG), we decided that it would work even better with the addition of raspberries (Raspberry Dubbel, R²). Both recipes, with and without the fruit addition, are lovely, but the raspberry adds complexity that turned out to be our best brew yet. Enjoy!

Steeped:
0.3 oz roasted barley
4 oz Special B
12 oz crystal 75L
2 oz crystal 40L
8 oz aromatic malt
3.1 lbs raspberry/berry mix

Extract:
1.3 lbs Light DME
8.28 lbs Light LME
2 lbs candi syrup dark (homemade - http://sciencebrewer.com/2010/04/10/homemade-belgian-candi-sugar/ )

Hops:
0.25 oz Columbus (17AA) @ 60
0.2 oz Hallertau Tradition (5AA) @ 30
0.9 oz Hallertau Tradition (5AA) @ 10

Yeast:
Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey


Process:
Steeped grains at 155F for 30 mins in 1.75 gallon water. Sparged 1 gallon of 155F water through grains. Added 0.75 gallon water for 3.5 gallon boil. Added 1.3 lb DME and 3.2 lb LME and brought to boil. Added Columbus at 60, 0.2 oz Hallertau at 30. Rest of malt and candi sugar at 15. 0.9 oz hallertau and 0.6 tsp yeast nutrients at 10 mins. Half whirlfloc tablet at 5 mins (although probably unnecessary because of the pectin from the fruit). Cooled and diluted until 1.077 (approximately 6 gallons). Pitched 1214. We suggest allowing ample head space for krausen, or attach blowoff tube. After almost 3 weeks in primary, racked onto raspberries/berry mix. We used 1.8 lbs raspberries and 1.3 lbs mix of raspberry/blackberry/strawberry/blueberry (i.e. raspberries are ideal, but any mix of berries will yield excellent results). We steeped the berries in 0.5 L water at 180 oC for 20 mins. We put the berries in a paint strainer bag for easier cleanup and bottling. We stirred the bag every few days. Secondary for 16 days (although could have been longer; make sure to measure the gravity changes with time because of added sugar from the fruit). Aimed for 3 vol CO2; be careful if bottling, as the fruit sugars can take a while to ferment (i.e. maybe aim for 2.5 CO2 and let the fruit build it up, to prevent fruit gushers).

Very drinkable after 2-4 weeks but ideal after 2-6 months. Raspberry dominates up front, followed by caramel, spices, fruits, chocolate. Very easy to make, for such a complex and delicious beer!

can you elaborate on your process after the primary?
steep in .5L of water at 180 oC... not following that
was the .5L with the strainer bag in the secondary that you stirred every few days?

sorry if these are elementary questions, I would like to make this and just want a better understanding of the process before I start.

Thanks

Looks a good simple recipe

CaptainDucman said:

can you elaborate on your process after the primary?
steep in .5L of water at 180 oC... not following that
was the .5L with the strainer bag in the secondary that you stirred every few days?

sorry if these are elementary questions, I would like to make this and just want a better understanding of the process before I start.

Thanks

Click to expand...

There are a few different ways to deal with fruit when adding to secondary: leave as is (possible infection), mix with something that will kill it (e.g. hard alcohol, campden tablets), or steep the fruit. I chose the last option, with knowing that it would add a haze to it from the pectin (I don't personally care). So I steeped the fruit in 180 F water for 20 minutes to kill any bacteria, prior to adding it to secondary (just noticed I wrote 180 C above; should be 180 F). I then poured the 0.5 L water + raspberry mixture into the secondary, bug-free! Hope that clears it up!

Awesome! Thx. It was the 180c that had me baffled [emoji106]. Thank you.

No problem; excited to hear what you think!

Brewed this again a month ago, with a slight increase in steeped grains. Still my favourite Belgian to date. Highly suggested if you are fond of raspberries and beer!

What changes did you make to the steeped grains? I think I want to brew this but ive only done two or three extract beers I'm still pretty new and I've never added fruit or racked to a secondary so I'm a little nervous... lol

DublinOhioBrewer said:

What changes did you make to the steeped grains? I think I want to brew this but ive only done two or three extract beers I'm still pretty new and I've never added fruit or racked to a secondary so I'm a little nervous... lol

Click to expand...

Don't be afraid of fruit. There are a few methods to be extra safe, such as steeping them around 180 F. Remember that the fruit are added after primary, so there is already alcohol in the beer that will limit possible infection. I've now added cherries, blackberries, blueberries, without any issue. Lots of threads describing this.

I've done this beer a few times now, both extract and partial mash. It easily lasts a few years in a bottle. Still one of my favourites. As for the changes I noted above, here is what I did:

6 gallon batch
OG: 1.078
FG: 1.006
Yeast: Wyeast 1214
IBU: 23

4.6 lbs light LME
2 lbs candi syrup dark (homemade, late addition)
5 lbs light LME (late addition)

1 oz roasted barley
8 oz Special B
16 oz crystal 75L
4 oz aromatic malt
4 oz Victory
2.6 lbs raspberries

0.25 oz Columbus (16AA) at 60
0.2 oz Columbus at 30
0.57 oz East Kent Goldings (3.4AA) at 10

This version turned out very nicely and complex. Still strong raspberry but rounded out with cherry, plum, and roasted chocolate from the steeped grains. Very easy to switch some/all of the LME to 2-row for partial or full mash. Easy to switch out hops as well, as they are minor and mostly for bittering. The steeped grains can also be modified depending on what is available locally. Lots of options with dubbels.